West Seattle, Washington
05 Friday
While sizable ships anchor off Don Armeni from time to time, seldom have we seen a loaded-with-containers cargo ship there, appearing almost close enough to touch, as did the OOCL London this morning. Over the weekend, Beach Drive Blog pointed out the two cargo ships visible at anchor across the Sound, off Manchester; from West Seattle, you can see two more ships anchored off Magnolia.
It’s a visible effect of an alleged “slowdown” that comes six months into West Coast contract talks between the ILWU, which says it’s “congestion,” and the terminal operators of the Pacific Maritime Association, which accuses the ILWU of “orchestrated job actions.” According to this online schedule, OOCL London was to dock at Terminal 18 yesterday; one of the ships waiting off Manchester, the Hyundai Force, was to dock at T-18 Saturday.
The pace of work is reported to have picked up at both ports today – at the Port of Seattle per its seaport division managing director Linda Stryk in a phone conversation with WSB, and Tacoma per this an updated “operation status” online. Styrk calls the increase in ships at anchor a “snowballing effect” of last week’s “very low productivity,” while adding, “productivity improved over the weekend” but warning “it will take some time to catch up with the snowball effect.” Since the Port’s only role in this is as a “landlord,” as Styrk put it, the best they can do is engage in “advocacy and raising concerns up the flagpole, encouraging both parties to come to terms.” That advocacy, she added, includes making note of the effects the slowdown is having on exports. “People recognize that low productivity is not good for jobs; hopefully the advocacy of impacts will help them keep moving in a more-positive direction.”
TUESDAY AFTERNOON NOTE: The Hyundai Force left Manchester today for Tacoma.
(Dawn redwood grove at Lincoln Park, by Mark Ahlness, shared via WSB Flickr group)
Before we get too much further into today – four highlights (and there’s even more on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar):
REGISTRATION AT SOUTH: First day for new students to register for winter quarter 2015 at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) – details online. (6000 16th SW)
HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY PTA MEETING: Starts with dinner at 5:30, then the meeting 6-7:30 pm, in the cafeteria at HPES – child care available, all welcome. (1012 SW Trenton)
ROXHILL ELEMENTARY PTSA MEETING: 6 pm at Roxhill ES. (30th/Roxbury)
PRECINCT COMMANDER @ NORTH DELRIDGE MEETING: 6:30 pm, it’s the November meeting of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council. Preview, via Nancy Folsom:
*Captain Steve Wilske talking about the North Delridge Policing Plan and other crime/public safety issues. You might note that he was scheduled for last month on the same topic but was unable to come due to illness.
*Approval of the 2015 executive committee
*Follow up on DESC issues if needed
*Any open issues
NDNC meets at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
Thanks to Danette Carufel for sharing the photo and report:
Two West Seattle High School swimmers will be going to the State Swimming Championships next Friday/Saturday at King County Aquatic Center. Gabby Carufel, junior (left), had a state qualifying time in the 100-yard backstroke of 1:01.77. Anne Williamson, senior (right), is competing in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:12.62. Go, Wildcats!!!
This isn’t the only house being demolished in West Seattle today, but we’re pretty sure it’s the only one with a backstory like this: It’s the house at 3823 SW Willow in Gatewood that was mentioned here three months ago, as Seattle Parks notified neighbors about the plans to turn it into a pocket park, thanks to a “reserved life estate donation” from George Watton, who lived there with wife DeLayne Watton for more than half a century. He built the house after returning home from World War II and had arranged the donation of the site, plus money to cover demolition, long before his death last year at age 95 (his wife died in 2007). Parks has said that after the site is cleared – today’s teardown follows a long period of more-gentle “deconstruction” – they will embark on site restoration and turf establishment, to be complete by next spring.
P.S. Thanks to Joseph for sharing the photo!
ADDED: And thanks to Ron for this view hours later, as the final wall of the house was brought down:
A message like this might usually end up in the WSB Forums‘ Rant/Rave section, but it arrived in our inbox, and a Monday morning seemed like the time for some good news. From Kelly:
I just wanted to say THANK YOU to the woman who is currently raking leaves off the sidewalk (which is also the primary bike route in/out of our neighborhood) and the Delridge onramp to the bridge. That street flooded horribly earlier this week because of leaves in the storm grate and was dangerous. The water was almost over the sidewalk. My husband and I were driving by so I couldn’t thank her myself but I hope you’ll share my deep appreciation!
Shared!
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far, a relatively average commute here and regionally, according to all the sources we’ve checked. (Two of the cameras we regularly show are down, by the way.)
VETERANS DAY TOMORROW: Tuesday’s holiday means, among other things, no school and some transit changes, including “reduced weekday” service for Metro and no Water Taxi service.
SPEAKING OF THE WATER TAXI … its first-ever “strategic plan” is out. Eastside service? New West Seattle terminal? Tax increase? See what it says.
SOUNDERS TONIGHT: We should mention that Sounders FC plays Dallas at C Link, 7:30 tonight,
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
While Metro bus funding and Sound Transit light rail have held the spotlight here lately, plans are being shaped for another transportation service’s future: The King County Water Taxis.
They’re in the just-approved, first-ever “strategic plan” for the King County Ferry District, which operates Water Taxi service on the downtown/Vashon and downtown/West Seattle runs – read the final version here or below:
One of the first steps to be taken is to end the Ferry District’s existence as a separate entity. The County Council is scheduled to vote on “assuming governance” of the district during its 11 am meeting tomorrow, one week after, sitting as the Ferry District Board chaired by West Seattle’s Councilmember Joe McDermott, it approved the strategic plan.
Another big decision ahead: Funding, with the plan describing the service as “”currently financially unsustainable given annual revenue, service costs, and current and near-term capital improvement needs.”
Consolidating the district into county government will help, according to the plan, because it “will eliminate redundant functions of the District and County. Separate District contracts for Legal and Accounting services can be terminated and Ferry District staff will not be needed. The annual savings from consolidation can go directly to providing services.”
But that won’t cover the gap, the report suggests. From the plan, here’s a chart showing what’s happened:
The doors at American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle were open for three hours tonight for those who have served or are serving to come enjoy a free “thank you” dinner, as Veterans Day approaches. In our photo above are Post 160 Commander Keith Hughes and Linda Cox. Dinner was an Italian menu again this year:
Post 160 has one more invitation: Everyone who has served in the U.S. armed forces, or is serving now, is welcome to be a member. The post (3618 SW Alaska) has a general meeting every second Wednesday, 6 pm, which means the next one is coming up in just three days, on November 12th. Questions? E-mail wslegion160@gmail.com or call 206-932-9696.
Stolen vehicles found recently in West Seattle tended to turn up in alleys, so look there, too. From Rick and Marty:
Please help- our truck was stolen from in front of the house – stolen Saturday night from Westwood Village/Shorewood area : White 2006 Ford F-250 standard cab – has 5th wheel hitch and black 5th wheel (cut out) tailgate – Lic # B866595- any information, either contact 911 or call us at 206-931-2027.
(SCROLL DOWN – or jump, if viewing from WSB home page – for Monday update)
5:53 PM SUNDAY: Police are investigating a report of bullying turned violent at a local school. The victim’s mother told them it happened at Roxhill Elementary on October 30th; it was not reported to police until she went to the Southwest Precinct desk on November 5th, according to the detailed report that was added to SPD’s publicly viewable online files this weekend. Here’s what the report says:
Seen at 35th/Holden in Gatewood (by us on Saturday, though we couldn’t stop for a photo, and then today by our Arbor Heights-based anonymous correspondent, who DID stop to snap it and shared the photo). Hope the sale went well.
Meantime, this gives us a chance to point out that today happens to be the exact midpoint between last West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day and the next one! Six months from today, on May 9, 2015, shoppers and sellers will swarm the peninsula for the 11th annual WSCGSD, organized and presented by WSB. (New to West Seattle? Here’s our coverage from last year.) As usual, we’ll open registration in early April.
Sarah at Brunette Mix (longtime WSB sponsor) in The Junction e-mailed to let us, and you, know about two ways you can help them help a West Seattle native who is now fighting for her life:
We are currently trying to raise money for a friend of ours, Jasmin Egan. She is a former West Seattleite that now resides in Kent. She grew up here and went to Chief Sealth High School. Her maiden name is Jasmin Glover. She has just been diagnosed with ALL – Acute Lympholastic Leukemia. She will not not be able to work for a long time, and her husband can’t either right now, as she needs around-the-clock care. She has three beautiful children, and we just want to take the stress of money and bills away, so she can concentrate on treatment and healing. So Brunette Mix is offering deep conditioning treatments with any service for free with any donation. The conditioner is a $20 value.
Also, we are organizing a silent auction for her at the Feedback Lounge on Thursday, December 4th, from 6:30- 9:30 and are still looking for donations.
If you can offer a donation for the silent auction, e-mail Sarah at swillanger@hotmail.com. To make an appointment at Brunette Mix (4306 SW Oregon), so you can donate there and get the special reward, you can book online, or by e-mail, or by phone – 206-932-2401.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
West Seattle rocks.
You already knew that.
The hundreds who gathered at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) Saturday for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s annual Champagne Gala Brunch were served many reminders of why it’s true, and gave big in response.
For the gala’s centerpiece, they were the live audience for an on-location half-hour-long Marty Riemer podcast, co-hosted by his once-and-future radio partner Jodi Brothers, about West Seattle’s role in Seattle’s rock scene, with guests including a rock star, a record-label exec, and the owner of the city’s most-famous record store. Here’s the video (toplines later in this story, if you don’t have time to watch/listen):
The Marty Reimer Show at Salty’s on Alki from Avenue Collection on Vimeo.
Wait – you might think – didn’t you say “Historical Society”? Doesn’t that conjure an image of great-grandmas, tea, cookies, and lectures about the distant, misty past, more than rock ‘n’ roll?
Certainly, a few great-grandmas and great-grandpas were in the audience somewhere. And the family in the spotlight brought a multi-generational group – all 27 of whom gathered in front of the trademark Salty’s view windows; that would be the Schmitz Family, right after three members spoke movingly about the living legacy that traces back to one Schmitz’s emigration from Germany and eventual arrival in Seattle.
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand unless otherwise credited)
But when SWSHS executive director Clay Eals (above right, with Vicki Schmitz-Block and Dietrich Schmitz) spoke of “rebirth,” he made it clear the organization is looking ahead even as it celebrates the past. Especially what he said about this year’s biggest SWSHS event, the unveiling of the restored Admiral Way Viewpoint totem pole on June 6th, at its new home on the east side of SWSHS’s Log House Museum. He showed this five-minute video capturing the essence of the unveiling ceremony:
(Lincoln Park photo by Jeremiah Holt)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Year-round, rain or shine. 10 am-2 pm. (44th/Alaska)
OPEN HOUSE: Five holistic-health practitioners are having an open house in their newly open clinic, 10 am-2 pm, details here. (5400 California SW)
OPEN EARLY FOR GAME DAY: 11:30 am, Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) opens early with a Game Day menu for the Seahawks-Giants game, which will be on the big screen at 1:25 pm. (6451 California SW)
FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Not in WS but – two teams from the West Seattle-based SWAC Cougars are playing regional championship games – Pee Wees at 1 pm, 89ers at 3 pm, both vs. teams from the CD Panthers, both at French Field in Kent. Good luck! (10200 SE 256th, Kent)
FREE ORGAN CONCERT … also featuring flute, oboe, trumpet, piano and choir. 2 pm at Hope Lutheran Church. (42nd/Oregon)
‘SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS’: Lost a loved one this year and dreading the approaching holidays? This GriefShare seminar at Grace Church might be able to help. Details in our calendar listing. 2 pm.
FREE CLASSICAL CONCERT: 3 pm, Ladies’ Musical Club at West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library, featuring music of Mozart and Donizetti for soprano and piano, and music of Faure for violin and piano.” (2306 42nd SW)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON THEATER: See a matinee performance of “Dogfight“ at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), 3 pm. Tickets available online. (4711 California SW)
‘THANK YOU’ DINNER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED/ARE SERVING: 5-8 pm, American Legion Post 160 and Auxiliary Unit 160 invite veterans, active duty, reservists, and their families to a FREE Italian dinner. No RSVP needed – just show up. Here’s our preview. (3618 SW Alaska)
SUNDAY NIGHTLIFE: Seven nights a week, something fun’s happening somewhere. Tonight – trivia and karaoke! See the listings here.
2:53 AM: A big callout for a potential house fire in the 4800 block of Beach Drive. First crew on scene sees “light smoke.” More to come.
2:56 AM: Most of the units are being canceled – this turned out to be, according to communications between fire crews and dispatch, “small kitchen fire, (extinguished) by occupant.”
Today (Sunday) will be the first day King County Elections has *not* released updated results since Tuesday night. That night’s ballot count was followed by two daily Wednesday-Friday and one more Saturday evening. Here are three notes following the latter:
TRANSIT FUNDING (Transportation Benefit District Prop 1):
Yes 61.14% – 109,139 votes
No 38.86% – 69,380 votes
What’s next? Since Wednesday’s media briefing (WSB coverage here) with the mayor and county executive, Metro general manager Kevin Desmond has sent an e-mail message to bus-alert subscriber lists, including this:
… We’re working with the city now to flesh out the agreement, including the exact route improvements. It will be submitted to the city and county councils in December for adoption early next year.
The need is clear. Seattle voters, like transit riders across the county, undoubtedly have experienced the packed buses that have come with growing ridership. Metro is on track to deliver 120 million rides countywide this year—a record high—and our financial situation has not allowed us to expand to meet the demand.
Our just-released 2014 Service Guidelines Report, which analyzes the performance of our transit system and identifies investment needs, found that Metro should be providing 15 percent more service to meet current demand countywide. …
(That report does not appear to be online yet; it wasn’t linked, and we could only find the 2013 version. We’ll check on Monday.)
PRESCHOOL (Seattle Propositions 1A/1B):
Prop 1A – 31.29% – 49,393 votes
Prop 1B – 68.71% – 108,477 votes
What’s next? Thanks to Diane for forwarding e-mail about meetings to discuss how the resulting Seattle Preschool Program will be planned and implemented. Two meetings, both on December 6th, are in West Seattle, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, the first focused on curriculum, the second on teacher training/coaching. They and others around the city, starting later this month, are listed on this flyer.
SMALLER CLASS SIZE (Statewide Initiative 1351):
Yes 50.49% 945,851 votes
No 49.51% 927,356 votes
What’s next? This trailed on election night, but now supporters have declared victory. How this will be made to happen, the Legislature has to work out, as the text says.
SEE FULL, UPDATED LOCAL AND STATE RESULTS: If there’s something else you want to check on, King County’s results are all linked here; statewide races and measures are all linked here.
Three days before Veterans Day, a West Seattle man who served in World War II got an early gift.
Rebuilding Together Seattle, with help from Renewal by Andersen, worked on the Beach Drive home of World War II veteran Elvino Naccarato. Along with fencing, the volunteers worked to build safer stairs and a porch.
They also worked to clean and organize the home, hauling away what they cleaned up as well as debris from work they did.
Kerianne Halpin, a spokesperson for the project, explained, “We want to help someone who helped us through their dedicated service. By making improvements to his home, we will make it safer and more comfortable for Elvino.”
P.S. RTS accepts applications from qualifying homeowners in need. It welcomes volunteers, too.
Hope you saw it! If not, from the past half-hour …
5:19 PM: That’s from Christopher Frankovich, and the next is from Ghazal Sharifi:
Before sunset, it was a little unsettling to see the Olympic Mountains devoid of snow, as we head into mid-November. Perhaps that will change – next week, the forecast warns of a cooldown, with daytime highs in the 40s.
ADDED 9:40 PM: Two more photos – moonrise from Carolyn Newman:
And one more look at the sunset colors, from JayDee in Upper Alki:
Thanks to everyone who shares photos, from sunset sights to breaking news (and more along the way)!
During today’s Green Seattle Day, Orchard Street Ravine got the TLC it was looking for. Cindi Barker shared photos and reports, “Over 30 people came, including 3 full families. All the plants got in the ground and are now well protected for the winter ahead.”
Cindi says that’s the youngest worker who showed up today, 6-year-old Evan, with his mom Jane. Here are the pots that held the plants now in the ground:
Thanks to everyone who volunteered somewhere today!
1:16 PM: Just in case you saw the big fire callout in the 5200 block of SW Andover (map) this past half-hour and wondered about it – our crew reports it was a kitchen problem, generally described by firefighters as “food on the stove,” and is wrapping up.
4:25 PM: Commenters say it actually turned out to be electrical. We won’t be able to get a final report from SFD until Monday.
MONDAY UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore confirms that while it was a kitchen problem, as commenters noted, it did not turn out to be a cooking problem. He also says the smoke detector made a big difference:
We were dispatched at 12:59 p.m. to 5227 SW Andover St for reports of a fire in the kitchen. It turned out it was a dishwasher fire that extended to the kitchen cabinets. The occupant was home alone asleep and woke to to the smoke detectors going off and evacuated. Firefighters contained the fire to the kitchen. Minor fire damage but there was smoke damage inside the house. There were no injuries.
You can help the West Seattle Food Bank make sure families in need have turkeys this holiday – by buying one and dropping it off (or a $15 donation so they can buy one) at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction until 2 pm. Above, one of the turkey donations that happened while we stopped by. HomeStreet is at 41st/Alaska – just look for the WS Food Bank van by the bank:
Also look for the friendly people, including Melodie VanHouten from HomeStreet and Jim Dean from the Food Bank board:
If you miss today’s drive, check the WSFB site to find the many ways you can donate, during the holiday season and the rest of the year.
One of the first events on our big list today is at the midway point – the mega-consignment sale benefiting West Seattle Cooperative Preschools. It continues until 1 pm at the VFW Hall in The Triangle, and organizers say they’ve had a steady stream of shoppers. If there’s a wee one on your shopping list, you might even find her/him a new pal:
The VFW Hall is at 3601 SW Alaska.
This is not quite the standard case of lost-and-found … Emily‘s wedding ring was lost because of a delivery mistake, and it might be on your doorstep, or somewhere else a parcel would be left:
West Seattle, I need your HELP. Thursday afternoon my wedding ring was supposed to be delivered to our home at 46th/Admiral (we had it remade for our ten year anniversary) and it was delivered to the wrong house (the package required a signature yet the driver left the package anyway) and it is currently missing. Knowing how small West Seattle is, and that everyone knows everyone, I’m asking you all to PLEASE SHARE this, in the hopes that someone will come forward. We are offering a reward, no questions asked. This is obviously heartbreaking and the sentimental value is something that can never be replaced. Thank you for your help!
You can reach Emily at 503.784.0079.
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